Saturday July 26Th will start just like your average Summer weekend, except that it will start a bit earlier and is certain to last a tad longer. On this particular day 150 people will gather at the Timothy Lake trail head for the start of PCT 50 Ultra marathon. Thomas and I have been talking about having a "big day out" since we completed the 87 km Heaphy Track in a day in 2004. We had so much fun that we decided we must step it up. One conversation lead to another and next thing I know we are registered, buying plane tickets, and destroying running shoes by the half dozen.

We have both been training hard for the past six months, but as race day draws closer the training runs are subsequently getting longer. It is always exciting to set huge goals and then slowly move toward achieving them...one step at a time.

This past week I finally went and ran the course that I have been thinking about since we pulled the trigger in January. The course starts at Timothy Lake and slowly climbs for 25 miles up to Timberline Loge at the base of Mt. Hood and than turns back to the lake. I drove from Hood River on Wednesday evening up to Mt. Hood and dropped off two coolers loaded with "calories and protein" where the PCT bisects the road. This enabled me to run with a minimal amount of weight. After setting my drop bags I headed down to the lake and finished packing before crashing in the back of my car. I opted for an alpine start and crawled out of my car and hit the trail a few minutes before four.

Exiting the car; I grabbed a bite to eat, flicked my headlamp on and began moving uphill. As I left the parking lot i felt like i had a hundred fans following me, egging me on every step. pushing me to keep moving forward. And when I would slow down for a moment they would draw blood reminding me to keep running. I have never seen such a density of mosquitoes, and by the end of the day every bit of exposed skin was covered in blood and smashed Mozes. As the sun came out they seemed to grow less manic, but the first four or five hours were intense!

Enough about my fan club...they love me. As I made my way past Barlow Pass and began the final leg to the lodge the course changed dramatically. The record snowfall this year on Mt. Hood is still very present and the upper ten miles is all white! This section became very challenging both in terms of navigation and footing. running on five feet of snow is fun until you fall in hole and get stuck up to your waist. Arriving back at Barlow pass I took a small break to try to let my shoes dry out before heading down hill.

I called my brother Thomas from above Barlow Pass and we spoke for a few minutes on the phone as he was running a 25 mile training run... Solid T! I am excited to have the opportunity to race with my brother, and believe this will be a great course.


The remainder of the coarse went well, but after my feet got wet I developed a few blisters that became very apparent in the last ten miles. Finishing strong I arrived back in Hood River as the sun set and promptly fell into bed.

Pictures:(above) PCT Blaze @ Barlow Pass. (Below) Alpine start from Timothy Lake.